Apple has not long released their latest iteration of phones, and there is already talk of what’s next. On 6 January a leak of the 2019 Apple phone renderings was posted on Twitter. The source of the design is @OnLeaks, who have a decent track record when it comes to phone leaks. The image appears to show Apple’s next generation of the iPhone, being dubbed iPhone XI. Twitter hasn’t been too keen on the rendering since the phone appears to sport a square camera housing with three lenses, which looks somewhat crude and unstylish. However, that’s not what we’re focusing on, we’re interested in the ports.

USB-C vs Lightning

Apple received criticism when it jumped from the 30 pin connector to the lightning connector, with many people thinking its time to move to the third party micro and mini USB cables. While the lightning port was undoubtedly better than the 30 pin, many people saw this as another example of Apple trying to make as much money as they could from their consumer base instead of making life smoother for them. There may be some truth to that, Apple is a business and they, of course, want to make money, and style is a huge selling point of the brand. Having everything styled in a certain way all adds to the image Apple wants to cultivate.

 

However, at the time they made the switch, there wasn’t an attractive alternative to Apple. Lightning is unidirectional, which was a major bonus. USB-C existed at this point, but it wasn’t widely adopted so Apple sought to make their own solution. Micro USB was still widely popular and didn’t sport the came benefits that lightning could offer, for example, it didn’t do HDMI very well, it couldn’t charge as quickly, it wasn’t reversible and it was more prone to damaging the phone as well as not being very well suited to being stood upright (for example in music docks.)

 

Now that USB-C has become the standard for most new devices, the pressure is back on Apple to switch in their new product lines. And Apple is complying with this when it comes to their Macbooks. The Macbooks since 2016 now have USB-C connectors.

 

But will Apple ever ditch the lightning port on their phones?

 

Reddit user Hahahahahaimsofunny said:

 

“They will likely go portless before changing the iPhone to USB-C”

 

Reddit user Muzzi26 said:

 

“I love the lightning port. It was so far ahead of its time when it came out. Way better than the 30 pin connector (I know it pissed off everyone when Apple changed) and it was and I’d way better than the crappy micro USB port that every android phone and accessory was using at the time. BUT, I think it’s time to go the USB-C route. One cable and I can charge anything with it. That’s the dream, well I mean until we go all wireless.”

 

Well according to the leaks of the next generation of phones, no, they will be sticking with the lightning port instead of transitioning to the USB-C. It’s important to note that Apple is still in the development stages with the phones, so it’s possible that they may change their mind and go with USB-C, but currently, it doesn’t look like they will.

 

Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with the lightning cable, its small, it looks good, its unidirectional and has a strong connection when in use. However, now we have so many different devices, smart watches, tablets, phones and laptops, people want simplicity. Having one cable for all of your devices would be ideal, and since USB-C is now pretty established and universal, it seems like the natural direction to go in. 

iPhone recently released their newest top of the line phones, the XR, XS and XS Max. As you probably already know these phones have a unique style that differs from the traditional iPhone look, come with high-end smartphone features, and a high-end price. However, if you’re a fan of the more traditional iPhone look that has reigned for years and is iconically iPhone, then we have the best deals on 6S, 7, 8 and SE for you.

 

The older iPhones continue to get cheaper as Apple pushes more time and energy into promoting their newer phones, however, the older iPhones still have a lot going for them. They are still reliable phones that look good, have most, if not all, the specs an average user would need and come with a reduced price tag.

 

Let us have a look at some deals, starting with the newest of the older phones and working backward. Here we’ve picked 2 great deals for each phone, with the aim of balancing what is important to different customers, for example, data is more important to some users than others, the same goes for minutes and texts.

iPhone 8

The newest of the old iPhones, the iPhone 8 has the classic iPhone look with some additional features such as wireless charging. 

 

Site: Mobiles.co.uk Upfront Cost: £160 Monthly Cost: £23 Network: O2 Minutes: 1000 Data: 3GB Texts: Unlimited Storage: 64GB Colour: Gold Contract Lenth: 24 months

 

Site: buymobiles.net Upfront Cost: Free Monthly Cost: £36 Network: EE Minutes: Unlimited Data: 30GB Texts: Unlimited Storage: 64GB Colour: Space Grey Contract Lenth: 24 months

iPhone 7

A better camera, faster processor and longer battery life than the iPhone 6/S as well as water resistance. Some great features here with an attractive price tag.

 

Site: affordablemobiles.co.uk Upfront Cost: Free Monthly Cost: £28 Network: EE Minutes: Unlimited Data: 9GB Texts: Unlimited Storage: 32GB Colour: Gold Contract Lenth: 24 months

 

Site: mobiles.co.uk Upfront Cost: £75 Monthly Cost: £23 Network: O2 Minutes: 1000 Data: 3GB Texts: Unlimited Storage: 32GB Colour: Black Contract Lenth: 24 months

 

iPhone 6S

The first of the iconic iPhone look with the rounded edges and the button. The 6S has some features the 6 doesn't, such as 3D touch. The 6S has fingerprint ID allowing for Apple Pay and easy sign in to apps. The camera is now somewhat dated and you will likely notice a photo quality difference if comparing photos taken on your 6S to other newer phones.  

 

Site: idmobile.co.uk Upfront Cost: £19.99 Monthly Cost: £17.99 Network: iD Minutes: 500 Data: 2GB Texts: Unlimited Storage: 32GB Colour: Grey Contract Lenth: 24 months

 

Site: mobiles.co.uk Upfront Cost: Free Monthly Cost: £19 Network: O2 Minutes: 1000 Data: 3GB Texts: Unlimited Storage: 32GB Colour: Silver Contract Lenth: 24 months

iPhone SE

The cheapest of the phones on our list, but not without its perks. The SE has a longer battery than the 5S and great power. The look, with the more square type design, is a little dated, but in general, the phone still performs well and has a very attractive price tag.

 

Site: mobilephonesdirect.co.uk Upfront Cost: £18 Monthly Cost: £15 Network: EE Minutes: Unlimited Data: 1GB Texts: Unlimited Storage: 32GB Colour: Space Grey Contract Lenth: 24 months

 

Site: mobile.co.uk Upfront Cost: Free Monthly Cost: £24 Network: Vodafone Minutes: Unlimited Data: 16GB Texts: Unlimited Storage: 32GB Colour: Gold Contract Lenth: 24 months

 

 

So there you have it! Some of the best iPhone deals around this Christmas if you’re looking for an iPhone without the inflated price tag of the newer models. 

So most of you will be using 4G, and have lived through and used 3G, and maybe you even remember 2G and 1G. “G” stands for generation, so 5G simply refers to the fifth generation of wireless technology.

 

The Generations of Wireless Technology

 

1G: Used for “brick phones” or large phones that people used to carry around in a case. 1G used analog telecommunications. 1G was introduced in 1979

 

2G: This is where the network becomes digital. With 2G phone conversations can now be digitally encrypted and allow for a varied level of service, with SMS, MMS and picture messages. 2G was released in 1991

 

3G: Information gets faster with 3G, 200kbits/s in fact. 3G allowed for mobile internet access, video calls, mobile TV technologies, and wireless internet access. Although it was possible to navigate around the internet with 3G, most of you will remember that it was often painfully slow. 3G was first introduced in 1998. There was also a 3.5G which was somewhere in the middle of 3G and 4G.

 

4G: It has all the tech of 3G, but faster and allows for connectivity on a wide range of devices allowing for gaming services, video conferencing, mobile web access, high definition mobile TV, cloud computing and 3D television.  4G was introduced in 2008. There is also a 4.5G which provides increased performance on 4G.

So What is 5G?

People are expecting a lot from 5G, after all, we all want fast downloads, a more reliable viewing experience, high-quality crisp video playing, and reliable internet phone calls. So what can we expect?

 

5G will be much faster than 4G, approximately 10 to 20 times faster than 4G, and faster than most home internet speeds. A requirement of 5G is that it has to support rates of several tens of Mb/s for tens of thousands of users. In technical lab tests, 4.5Gb/s has been achieved, but things often work differently in the real world. Some real-world tests have been conducted, and these have suggested 1GB/s is an easily achievable speed for 5G. This is already way above what we’re used to with 4G.

So when are we getting 5G?

Network providers in the UK are already gearing up to provide 5G, but it isn’t yet clear when they will be fully ready. It is actually more likely that we will have 5G ready phones before we have 5G in operation. Samsung, LG, Sony, HTC and an additional 14 networks have already announced that they are working on bringing out 5G capable devices by working with Qualcomm, the chip manufacturer. The companies in question are rumored to have 5G ready devices available in 2019. However, it seems unlikely we will see 5G in 2019, but 2020 is feasible.

 

In order for 5G to be widespread, the networks will have to conduct a fair amount of testing, and so far it doesn’t seem like enough is going on in that space for us to be confident that we are around the corner from 5G. However, it's been confirmed that the West Midlands will get £75 million in public funding to develop and test 5G in the region. The plans for West Midlands include the ability to stream CCTV cameras on buses directly to the police, allowing them to respond more quickly to incidents.

 

Although we may not see 5G in 2019, exciting things are happening in the space, and the networks are continuing to move forward with plans to enable it as soon as possible 

In 2018 budget phones are better than ever, you can now access the best features without the hefty price tag as phones continue to evolve. It used to be the case that budget phones allowed you to text and call, and not much else. Technology continues to advance in the flagship phones, with the main tech companies battling each other to provide the latest must-have phone features. As the flagship phones get more and more flashy, the features trickle down to the budget phones where you can now find a smartphone with lots of features for under £200.

Top Buying Tips

Before we get started on the top budget phones on the market, here are some buying tips that will help you get a decent smartphone for a great price:

 

●       Buy the phone outright and get a SIM-only deal: There are some amazing SIM only deals out there for less than £15 a month on a rolling monthly contract. If you’re buying a budget phone, not only will you get the best value for money this way, but you’ll also avoid being locked in for 2 years to a phone you may want to upgrade at some point before then.

●       Be wary of locked phones: You’ll often find that phone providers will offer a discounted price on a budget phone if you buy it from them. The catch is that the phone will be locked to that network. It is important to consider whether you want that phone over another one and whether that network has a SIM-only that is decently priced and meets your needs. If it doesn’t you’re better off looking elsewhere, or comparing the phones offered across different providers.

●       Say goodbye to brand loyalty: When buying a budget phone its a good idea to ignore brands. Some lesser known brands offer phones with all the same, and often more features than their branded alternative. Chinese phones are becoming increasingly competitive.

Best Budget Phones of This Year:

Xiomi Mi A2 Lite

Price: £179-£199

Specs:

●       Display: 5.84 IPS LCD, 1,080x2,280px resolution, 432ppi, 19:9 aspect ratio

●       Rear camera: 12MP

●       Front Camera: 5MP

●       OS: Andriod One

●       Memory: 3GB RAM/ 64GB Storage

 

In all, the design is sleek, the display is good and the phone has a decent amount of storage and decent cameras.

Honor 9 Lite

Price: £119

Specs:

●       Display: 1080 x 2160 pixels, 18:9 ratio, 428 ppi density

●       Memory: 4GB RAM, 64GB Storage

●       Camera: Front and back, 13MP with 2MP depth sensor

●       OS: Andriod 8.0 (Oreo)

 

The Honor Lite comes in a variety of colours, but only colours that sit on the black, blue-grey to white spectrum so if you’re after a red phone this may not be the phone for you. It’s a great budget phone with a good amount of RAM, a good camera, and even has a fingerprint sensor.

Motorola Moto E5

Price: £119

Specs:

●       Display: 720x1440px resolution, 5,7 inch screen.

●       Memory: 2GB RAM, 16GB storage

●       Camera: 13MP Rear camera, 5MP front camera

●       OS: Andriod 8.0 Oreo

 

The Motorola Moto E5 sports a very attractive design, good camera, good battery life, and a fingerprint sensor.

UMIDIGI One Pro

Price: £131.75 - £180

Specs:

●       Display: 5.9 Inches, 1520x720 resolution, 287ppi, 19:9 full surface display

●       Memory: 4GB RAM, 64GB Storage

●       Camera: 12MP+5MP duel rear camera, 16MP front camera.

●       OS:

 

The UMIDIGI One Pro sports the same display design and aspect ratio as the iPhone X, along with the sleek look. It has an amazing front camera and overall great specs. Although it does beat some other phones on the list in terms of specs, the reviews suggest that the fingerprint sensor and face unlock can be temperamental.

 

 

 

 

Haggle Your Way to a Better Deal

 

Don’t worry, we’re not talking about going to a market and haggling with a salesman, which isn’t for everyone. Phone and network providers want to retain customers. With the increase in popularity of sites like uSwitch and Compare The Market, phone providers can no longer pull the wool over your eyes about what phones cost. If your contract is coming to an end, or you’ve received correspondence about a price hike, it might be time to get on the phone and talk to an agent. Typically when your 12, 18 or 24-month contract comes to an end, your phone provider will continue charging you, often at a cheaper rate, but sometimes not. But this rate is not what the contract is now worth.

 A poll conducted by Money Saving Expert found that 75% of mobile customers were successful in negotiating a better deal. Customers with EE had the best chance of success at 77%, and O2 customers came in the lowest with a 67% success rate.

 The best way to go about this is to have a browse on a comparison site for the package or phone you want, and ring your provider to let them know you’re thinking of leaving and ask the process. The agents are trained in getting you to stay, so start off saying you want to leave, and give your reason as a better deal “X” that you’ve seen online. They will likely try to offer you something similar, often cheaper, or with an added benefit thrown in such as Spotify or Apple Music. 

Browse Christmas Deals for Added Extras

 

Most phone providers tend to offer similar prices, this is especially true for iPhones since Apple tightly controls the prices. If you’re looking at contract alone, you may not find much difference between the providers, but if you look at what else they’re offering, it tends to focus on specific niches. For example, let us have a look at the 2018 Chrismas deals from the major providers:

 

EE

Free Nintendo Switch with the following phones:

• Huawei P20 Lite (£0.00 upfront, £38 a month)
• Nokia 3.1 (£0.00 upfront, £33 a month)
• Huawei Mate 20 lite (£0.00 upfront, £43 a month)
• Huawei P20 Pro (£0.00 upfront, £53 a month)
• Nokia 7.1 (£0.00, £43 a month)

 

So if you wanted one of these phones, and fancy yourself a Nintendo Switch, EE is probably the best option for you this Christmas.

 

O2

Free Netflix for 6 months:

The O2 website says: “Buy a phone on a 25GB+ tariff, or a tablet, dongle or 12-month sim on a 15GB+ tariff, and you’ll get a six month Netflix subscription, on us. Once your free subscription is up, it’ll be £7.99 a month. Or you can cancel at any time.”

 Virgin Mobile and Three haven’t released their Christmas deals yet, instead, they seem to be focusing on Black Friday. Vodafone has “Christmas Deals” listed on their website, but there are no added extras thrown in.

 Its quite common for providers to throw in headphones into the deals, AirPods or Beats which can sweeten things, but remember to look at the deal as a whole. Mobile data is becoming the bottleneck for contract prices. Most providers will now offer unlimited texts and calls but offer a measly amount of data for the price. Its always better to opt for slightly more data than you think you need because apps are increasingly requiring more data, and what you use now might not be sufficient towards the end of your contract and you could be paying over the odds to get extra.